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YOUR
PRIZE-WINNING
NEWSPAPER
VOL. 4, NO. 26.
ATLANTA, GEORGIA
THURSDAY, JUNE 30, 1966
$5.00 PER YEAR
A STIFLED GASP lends realism to the scene. Several Sisters help in caring for an "in
jured” companion, in training for their roles as workers in Red Cross shelters in the
event of future hurricanes. The archidocese of New Orleans and the Red Cross have
worked out a plan whereby Brothers and Sisters will be on the staff of each emergency
shelter within the confines of the archdiocese. Red Cross officials say Religious have
proved to be stabilizing influences In shelters and refugee Centers. (NC Photos)
Two-Year Study Ends
Birth Control Report
Turned Over To Pope
VATICAN CrTY — The Papal
commission on birth control has
completed the task Pope Paul
VI gave it and has put its
findings into his hands, where
the ultimate decision rests.
The Pontifical Commission
for the Study of the Problems
of the Family, Population and
Natality met for the last time
(June 25). This meeting wrote
finis to the work undertaken al
most exactly two years before
when the Pope appointed a com
mission of theologians, scien
tists, demographers, histor
ians and sociologists to under
take a multi-dimensional sur
vey of the thorny and often
agonizing problems loosely
grouped under the heading of
birth control.
The chairman of the final
meeting was Alfredo Cardinal
Ottaviani, whom the Pope had
made president of the top-level
commission he created (March
7) to round up the findings—
sometimes contradictory— of
the 70 and more experts of the
original commission.
Cardinal Ottaviani thanked
all the experts of the original
commission and the prelates of
the super-commission for their
"exceptional self-abnegation,"
the Vatican communique said.
The experts, under the chair
manship of various members of
the super - commission, had
been working intensively in
teams from April 18 until June
4, and then in plenary session
June 6-8. The top echelon then
began its work of rounding up
the findings of the experts, with
the help of the experts them
selves, during the week of June
19.
An Italian Radio broadcast
reported that some of the ex
perts had acquainted members
of the papal commission with
details of an Anglican declara
tion in 1958 which approved
artificial birth control, while
at the same time placing great
stress on the individual's
Christian conscience and sense
of social responsibility.
The declaration in question
was among resolutions adopted
by the Anglican Lambeth Con
ference of 1958 which brought
together mote than 300 bishops
from throughout the world.
On family planning, the bish
ops said then that "the respon
sibility for deciding upon the
number and frequency of child
ren has been laid by God upon
the conscience of parents
everywhere.*’
Pointing out that ‘ 'it has long
been held that the primary obli
gation of a Christian marriage
is that children may be born
within the supporting frame
work of parental love," the
Anglican prelates declared,
however, that "we believe the
procreation of children is not
the sole purpose of a Christian
marriage.*’
"Implicit in the bond between
husband and wife is the rela
tionship of love with its sac
ramental expression in physical
union,” they continued. "Be
cause these two great purposes
ARMY Spec. 4 Lawrence D.
Kesler, son of Mr. and Mrs.
John H. Kesler of LaGrange,
has been killed in action in
Vietnam. He was a graduate of
LaG range High School and was
a member of St. Peter's
Catholic Church. Funeral ser
vices will be held at LaGrange.
of a Christian marriage illu
mine each other and form focal
points of constructive home life,
we believe that family planning
in such ways as are mutually
acceptable to husband and wife
in Christian conscience is a
right and important factor in
Christian family life and should
be the result of positive choice
before God.”
The general opinion in Rome
was that neither the commis
sion nor the Pope would issue
an ' outright condemnation or a
complete acceptance of birth
control. Many foreign news
men have tried to obtain inter
views with members of the
commission, but have met with
sharp refusals.
Meanwhile, L’Osservatore
Romano, Vatican City newspap
er, sharply denied a report in
Paese Sera, Rome Communist
daily, that the Holy See had a
financial interest in a Danish
company which is a large scale
producer of contraceptives.
L'Osservatore denounced that
it termed "wholly gratuitous
affirmation* and "the habit
of falsification in issuing of
fensive insinuations."
According to Rome Radio,
the report in Paese Sera was
also denied by an unnamed Vat
ican spokesman who said it was
"based on second and third-
hand gossip with no further
foundations."
Secrecy Surrounds
Commission Report
ROME (RNS) — Unusual and
even unprecedented secrecy
surrounded the conclusions and
recommendations submitted to
Pope Paul VI by the papal com
mission on birth control pro
blems.
Official spokesman and in
dividual members of the large
advisory group have provided
no reliable clues to newsmen
as to the tenor of the deli
berations or its conclusions.
Confusion Cleared Up
Two Catholic Hospitals In Atlanta
Get HEW Approval For Medicare
St. Joseph’s Infirmary and
Holy Family Hospital have been
declared eligible for the medi
care program and in compli
ance with Title VI of the Civil
Rights Act which prohibits dis
crimination against persons be
cause of race, color or creed.
The information that the two
hospitals were in compliance
was telephoned to Archbishop
Paul J. Hallinan by Robert Nash,
director of the Office of Equal
Opportunity of the Department
of Health, Education and Wel
fare. Nash said letters certi
fying compliance have been
mailed to the two integrated
Catholic hospitals.
Approval of the two hospitals
also was confirmed by William
J. Page of Adanta, regional di
rector of the department.
'This news happily climaxes
three weeks of confusion over
the Catholic hospitals which
have been integrated for three
years," Archbishop Hallinan
said.
" 'Official' and 'nonofficial'
lists of approved hospitals have
obscured the fact that these two
institutions pioneered in inte
gration in 1963. They seemed to
appear to the general public
as preaching integration and
practicing segregation. This
was simply not true,"the arch
bishop commented.
Archbishop Hallinan contin
ued "As late as Saturday, June
25, the Catholic hospitals were
named on a noncompliance list.
Yet a telephone call to Dr. Leo
J. Gehrig of the U.S. Surgeon
General’s office revealed that
both St. Joseph’s and Holy Fam
ily had been approved on Friday,
June 24.
•
'The massive job and contin
ued courtesy of medical offic
ials should not be underestimat
ed. Now our hospitals can go
admitting whites and Negroes
on the basis of need, main
tain their high quality medical
standards and be strengthen
ed by the biracial policy of all
major Atlanta hospitals.
Statements of racial p>olicy
by the hospitals were sent to
Washington last week by admin
istrators of the two facilities.
Sister Mary Melanie, admin
istrator of Saint Joseph’s,
wrote:
"In view of the impending im
plementation of medicare on
July 1, 1966, Saint Joseph’s
Infirmary wishes to reaffirm
its policy that all patients will
be admitted to this facility with
out regard to race, color, or
national origin. Further, physi
cians meeting the professional
qualifications for appointment
to the medical staff will be ap
pointed without regard to race
color, or national origin.
"Saint Joseph’s Infirmary
wishes to join other Atlanta hos
pitals in providing services to
medicare-eligible patients/' and
has indicated to the Department
of Health, Education and Wel
fare, its desire to participate
in die medicare program when
it becomes effective on July 1,
1966.”
Sister Mary Jacob, adminis
trator of Holy Family, made this
report:
"During the past few weeks
the attention of many people
in Atlanta has been focused on
the needs of senior citizens
who have hoped that the costs
of their hospital care would
be covered by the medicare
program. The fact that the abil
ity of Atlanta hospitals to co
operate in the medicare pro
gram is dependent upon com
pliance with Title VI of the
Civil Rights Act places a mu
tual responsibility on physi
cians, hospital personnel and
the community at large.
To fully grasp a responsibil
ity one must know it. Physi
cians and hospital personnel are
familiar with their responsibil
ities. However, it is felt by
the administrative personnel of
Holy Family Hospital that the
people it serves in the general
Have You Quit Smoking?
How About Your Weight?
DETROIT (RNS) — The Seventh-day Adventist originator
of a now-famous "Five-day Plan to Stop Smoking” is zero
ing-in on another problem which seems to develop when the
nicotine habit is licked: obesity.
Excess weight, according to Elman J. Folkenberg, the Ad
ventist temperance official who created the anti smoking pro
gram, is the nation’s number one health problem.
“Overeating has become associated with pleasure," Folken
berg said here during the 50th quadrennial World Conference
of the Adventist Church. "Massive food Intake, accompanied
with less and less exercise, soon adds up to a weight pro
blem.”
Smokers who break the habit, he admitted, often find them
selves with poundage they cannot comfortably carry.
To counter the problem, Folkenberg has come up with a
film series on weight control. It is used in connection with
the antismoking program.
The antioverweight scheme, he said, calls for a break in
the American habit of little breakfast, a snack for lunch and
a huge dinner.
In his program, called "Weighing What You Wantto Weigh,"
the regime includes a good breakfast, a solid lunch and a light
dinner.
And, if the essential rule—no snacks — is followed, Folken
berg maintained, a steady loss of one pound per week can be
realized.
community would appreciate a
concise statement of policy in
these matters.
1. The primary purpose of
Holy Family Hospital is to take
care of the sick regardless of
race, color or national origin.
2. The hospital works in a
cooperative way with all physi
cians who have the necessary
medical medical qualifications
regardless of race, color or
national origin.
3. The hospital attempts to
employ the most qualified per
sonnel possible regardless of
race, color or national origin.
4. All services on the hos
pital are available to all patients
and their visitors. In the as
signment of rooms, the criteria
are based on medical needs
and the type of accommodation
the patient selects. Rooms
are not assigned on the basis
of race, color or national ori
gin. ••
BISHOP Joseph L, Beanrdin is welcomed to a meeting of the
Serra Club by President Lewis F. Gordon, Jr. and Father R.
Donald Klernan, retiring chaplain. The bishop spoke to die club
on vocations to the priesthood. (Photo by Van Buren Colley).
Many Reasons Given
Bishop, Others Cite Decline
In Vocations To Priesthood
Why is there a decline in the
number of aspirants to the
priesthood? What is going to be
done to halt the trend?
These questions have been
asked in Atlanta, in St. Louis
and Rome and in articles in
Catholic publications.
In Atlanta, Bishop Joseph L.
Bernardin told the Serra Club
that several reasons have been
given for the decline in voca
tions — secularization of socie
ty, the belief that there is a
lack of self-fulfillment in the
priesthood, excessive criticism
of authority and a resulting anti
clericalism, fear of making a
permanent commitment and a
changing attitude toward celi
bacy.
The bishop said, "1 strongly
favor celibacy for spiritual and
practical reasons. Frequently
those who argue against celi
bacy have a negative and in
adequate understanding of the
spiritual meaning and function
of celibacy.
"However, if a priest feels
that he cannot live up to the
obligations of• celibacy* 1 think
that it should be possible for
him to be dispensed so that
he can live honorably as a lay
man. This is a problem which
we must begin to face realis
tically.”
Bishop Bernardin said, "It
would be an understatement to
say that the shortage of priests
in the Archdiocese of Atlanta
is acute. In every diocese die
story is the same . . .there
are not enough priests to meet
the needs of the Church. Fewer
young men are entering the
seminary and more are
dropping out.
"With this year’s ordinations
we have 51 diocesan priests in
an archdiocese with a Catholic
population of 45,000. But by pro
jecting figures on the basis of
expected growth, we anticipate
there will be 165,000 Catholics
in the archdiocese by 1980."
The bishop said that perhaps
the statistic which brings the
problem into clearest focus is
that only one Catholic high
school graduate in both Catholic
and public schools in the arch
diocese is entering the semi
nary in September,
' No matter how much the role
of the layman is upgraded in
the Church the need for priests
will increase because laymen
cannot carry out certain roles
which ordination alone makes
possible," he said.
Bishop Bernardin asked the
club which is made up of busi
ness and professional men who
seek to promote vocations to
the priesthood, "What are we
going to do?’
"First of all, you yourselves
must believe that a religious
vocation for your child is a good
thing," the bishop said. "When
parents are not convinced of the
value of a vocation, it is much
more difficult for a child to de
velop an appreciation of it. As
members of the Serra Club, I
am sure you appreciate the
priesthood. It is your task,
therefore to help convince ot
hers of its value. This is some
thing which you can do much
(CONTINUED ON PAGE 2)
FOUNDRESS IS HONORED. Mother Anna Dengel, foun
dress and superior general of the N(edical Mission Sisters,
founded in the United States in 1925, received the "Ring of
Tyrol,” the highest honor of her native region of Austria.
The governor of the Tyrol places the "Ring” on Mother
Dengel’s finger, to honor her work for suffering mankind.